THE ADVENTURES OF A SNOWMAN (Collins’ Girls’ Annual, 1954; reprinted in The Crackerjack Book for Girls, Collins, 1959). This is the only short story for older readers on this list that is not included in Susan and Friends: The Jane Shaw Companion (Bettany Press, 2002).

THE WILSONS WON’T MIND (Collins’ Girls’ Annual, 1955; reprinted in The Treasure Book for Girls, Collins, 1958, and Ballet Stories, edited by Ian Woodward, 1982). This is the first of four short stories featuring Susan that were published between 1955 and 1960).

SUSAN’S SCHOOL PLAY (Collins’ Girls’ Annual, 1957; reprinted in The Crackerjack Girls Own Book, Collins, undated)

SUSAN AND THE HOME-MADE BOMB (Collins’ Girls’ Annual, 1958)

THE MATCHMAKERS (Collins’ Girls’ Annual, 1959). This is the only short story set in South Africa.

SUSAN AND THE SPAE-WIFE (Collins’ Girls’ Annual, 1960). Set on Arran, where the author and her husband would later retire in 1978, this is the last of the short stories to feature Susan.

FAMILY TROUBLE (Collins’ Girls’ Annual, 1961)

CROOKS LIMITED (Collins’ Girls’ Annual, 1962). This is the only other story featuring Ricky, Julie and Fay, from Crooks Tour, and the only Jane Shaw story set entirely in her native Glasgow.

JUMBLE SALE (Collins’ Girls’ Annual, 1963)

THE PICTURE (Susan and Friends: The Jane Shaw Companion). This story was found among the author’s papers after her death. Exactly when it was written cannot be established. It is set in Paris and, similar to a scene from Crooks Tour, there are references to Utrillo and a woman struggling to run a restaurant frequented by starving artists, suggesting that it could have been written in the early sixties. The main protagonists are two older English girls, Carol and the unnamed narrator. It is not possible to say whether this book was actually intended for a Collins annual, but since it shares the romantic theme introduced into FAMILY TROUBLE, it has been included in this list.

A GIRL WITH IDEAS (Susan and Friends: The Jane Shaw Companion). More a novella than a short story, this work started life as ADVENTURES OF A MOUSE. The ideas from that story were then expanded to form A GIRL WITH IDEAS. Jane Shaw’s correspondence shows that the story was written at the behest of Collins, beginning in the mid sixties. However, it only appeared in print in Susan and Friends in 2002.

STORIES FOR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN

The exact publication dates of these stories cannot be determined, but they appeared in various Collins’ Children’s Annuals.

ALADDIN’S LAMP GROWS OLD

THE GIANT’S WASHING (a Griselda story)

TIGER KITTEN

THE MAGIC BASKET (a Griselda story)

THE CAT’S GRANDMOTHER (a Griselda story)

GRISELDA AND THE GOBLIN

GRISELDA AND THE BABY ELF

THE ONION MAN

THE CAT AND THE CABIN BOY (Treasure Trove for Boys and Girls, Collins, undated)

GRISELDA AND THE RAIN FAIRIES (Treasure Book for Boys and Girls, Collins, undated)

THE LONELY GIANT (Treasure Book for Boys and Girls, Collins, undated)

VISITING A FAIRY (My Book of Elves and Fairies, Collins, undated)

THE TALE OF THREE PUPPIES (Five Listen With Mother Tales Number 6, BBC Books, undated)

STORIES FOR LUTTERWORTH

The author noted that five of her stories were sold to Lutterworth Press in 1950 and 1951. As far as can be determined, the stories remained unpublished.

A PONY OF YOUR OWN (sold on 10 March, 1950)

NO ROBBERY (sold on 10 March, 1950)

I RODE WITH THE COVENANTERS (sold on 17 August, 1950)

MERE AND MOORLAND (sold in January, 1951)

HEATHER MIXTURE (sold in December, 1951)

STORIES FOR DIE BRANDWAG

Die Brandwag was an Afrikaans newspaper that purchased six of Jane Shaw’s short stories and translated them into Afrikaans for publication. Only one story (Die Man Langsaan) is known to have been published, as a clipping of it was found among the author’s papers.

About Wichwood Village

Welcome to Wichwood Village, a blog about the life and works of Scottish author Jane Shaw. Between 1939 and 1969, she published over 40 books and numerous short stories for children. Her light sense of humour, captivating characters and their madcap banter are hallmarks of her work. This blog is dedicated to exploring the protagonists, artwork and locations of her work and her life in general, with reviews and comments.

How I became a Jane Shaw enthusiast is explained in the first post of this blog, which you can read here.